Saint Matushka Olga (Michael) of Kwethluk

Archpriest Nicolai O Michael (1912-1984)

and

Saint Matushka Olga Michael of Alaska (1916-1979)

Notes about the lives of the Archpriest Nicolai O Michael and his wife, Matushka Olga (Arrsamquq) Michael, are presented in the context of Canadian Orthodox biographies, even though neither of them had any direct personal contact with Canada. Nevertheless, details of their lives parallel those of many of the Orthodox Canadian clergy of the earlier part of the 20th century. More importantly, the presenting of their lives can help us to understand how the Lord works in different ways with 2 Christ-loving and Christ-serving people, in order to help, encourage and console others. In this case, the Lord seems to have extended Matushka Olga’s loving service and care for others far beyond her own village, in ways which convinced many people that she is truly holy, truly a saint. Ultimately, her holiness was observed widely, and at last declared formally. The “Canadian connexion” in this regard concerns the many Canadians who are certain that “Mother Olga” is praying for them, and that as a result, help and healing have come from the Lord.

Early life of Archpriest Nicolai O Michael

Nicolai O Michael was born into an indigenous Alaskan family in the village of Kwethluk in Alaska, USA, on 24 August, 1912. The available details of his life were written by his grand-daughter, Olga (born Michael) McGill.

Kwethluk is located at the confluence of the Kuskokwim and Kwethluk rivers in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The constantly changing channel of the river gives the village its name. “Kwethluk” (pronounced “kweeth-luk”) is derived from the Yup'ik words “kuik”, meaning “river”, and “-rrluk”, meaning “bad, unnatural”.

“Nicolai”, wrote his grand-daughter, “was a very caring person, and well-known throughout the delta. He loved to fish and hunt. He also herded reindeer, which were used both as pack animals and as food for the community”.

Aerial view of Kwethluk

Marriage

Nicolai and Olga Michael

Nicolai married Olga (Arrsamquq), who was often called “Olinka”, an affectionate Russian form of her name. This marriage was an arranged marriage.

They were married on 1 December, 1934, at Bethel, Alaska (19 km/11mi by air from Kwethluk, but much farther using the Kuskowim River).

At the beginning, communication between the two was difficult. Nicolai was not yet a particularly “churchly” man. The couple lived together in a small 3-room log house for their whole marriage.

Together, they received from the Lord 13 children, of whom only 8 survived to adulthood. About Nicolai, his grand-daughter wrote that he was a strict father.

Earlier in his life, Nicolai started the first US Post Office and General Store in Kwethluk, where he was the manager. All along, Olga was praying for her husband.

Ordinations, 1962

After a time, he began to attend church services. Then he began to receive special training and formation under Bishop Amvrossy (Merezhko) until he had been sufficiently prepared. At that time, there was not yet a seminary in Alaska where such preparation might take place. This had to be provided by the bishop, together with priests in the diocese.

In 1962, Bishop Ambrossy (Ambrose) ordained Nikolai Michael to the Holy Diaconate, and then to the Holy Priesthood.

Pastoral service

Father Nicolai was the first priest to serve in Kwethluk, who was from the village of Kwethluk ; and when he began to live and to serve Kwethluk, he became greatly beloved by the people. However, his formation, that of Olga, and that of the villagers as Orthodox Christians came primarily through the first priest to serve the community (and the region), Archpriest Nikolai Epchook. He had arrived from the Yukon River to Kwethluk in 1925. Thereafter, he had served Kwethluk and other parishes along the Kuskokwim River until his repose in Christ on 14 January, 1962. It was his repose that occasioned Father Nikolai’s ordination. People remember him with respect and how he taught them the Orthodox Christian Faith, and the hymns of the Church. Olga’s knowledge of feast-day hymns was brought about by his loving instruction.

Before the time of Father Nikolai Epchook, there would have been available only services led by the readers (who were usually set apart for this from amongst the respected elders), except on rare occasions when a priest might visit while he was on a tour of communities.

It is important to understand that before she became a “matushka” (the Russian word for a priest’s wife), Olga was continuously praying for a long time for her husband, and for her village.

The difficult environment of Alaska

Very many of the former Russian and American clergy had by this time left their parishes, and the parish-circuits remained vacant for a long time. The Diocese of Alaska had suffered by this time from a century of depletion. It is useful to understand the background of the struggles of Alaskan Orthodox Christians in Alaska.

The process of depletion of the Orthodox Christian Faithful had begun with the sale of Alaska by the Russian Empire to the USA in 1867. The American presence brought with it hostility towards the Russian Orthodox Christian Faith, together with some oppression. In part, this was because most of the indigenous people were Russian Orthodox Christians.

The depletion was increased by pressures from the new, strongly-Protestant-minded government. During the episcopal service of Bishop Theodosius (Lazor) in Alaska, there was an increase in affirmation of the indigenous Orthodox Christian peoples in Alaska. Bishop Theodosius visited many villages of the various indigenous peoples ; and as he did so, he gladly lived just as they did in their homes. He spoke to them in very respectful terms (an essential detail of inter-personal relationships amongst the Alaskans). In about 1970, Bishop Theodosius was “adopted” by the Tlinkit clan at Sitka, Alaska, and he was given a Tlinkit name. Awareness of the pressing and particular local need to provide for local clergy increased.

Establishment of Saint Herman’s Seminary, 1972

This caused the establishment of Saint Herman's Seminary in 1972, at Kodiak, on Kodiak Island. It was just after the transfer of Bishop Theodosius (Lazor) away from the diocese later that year that the Archpriest Joseph Kreta had made the proposal to establish the seminary, and that this proposal was blessed by the Holy Synod of Bishops of The Orthodox Church in America, led by Metropolitan Ireney (Bekish).

Father Nicolai spent his whole life living in Kwethluk, and he served liturgically in the areas both in and around Kwethluk (12 villages), including Napaskiak (farther down the river). Besides serving the Sunday Divine Liturgy on a regular basis in the villages, Father Nicolai would return upon request to serve for baptisms, marriages, funerals and other needs. These villages are not at all close to each other. Travel between them is done by boats on the rivers in the summer (sometimes with portages), and by “snow-machine”, also called “snowmobile” (in former times, dog-sled) in the winter time.

In due course, after many years of service, Father Nicolai was elevated to the dignity of archpriest.

His grand-daughter supposes that the most exciting thing that happened to him was the trip he once took to New York City.

His grand-daughter also wrote that he would advise the younger people with words such as these:

 Always love your neighbour no matter who and what they are.  Learn the Holy Bible ; go to 
 church ; don’t pay others back when they do something good for you ; and you, always be good.

These wise words summarise the words of our Saviour. In the course of his life, Father Nicolai had certainly come to give glory to God for and in everything.

Repose of Father Nicolai, 1984

On 15 May, 1984, Father Nicolai O Michael of blessed memory reposed in Christ in Kwethluk, where he had spent his life of service.

The Funeral Services for the Burial of a Priest were served for him in the Temple of Saint Nicholas in Kwethluk, the Temple in which he had served for many years.

After the funeral services, his body was interred in the parish cemetery.

Father Nicolai and Matushka Olga Michael

Early life of Matushka Olga (Arrsamquq) Michael

Olga, an indigenous Alaskan of Yupik origin, was born in Kwethluk, Alaska, on 3 February, 1916. Her given name in Yup’ik is Arrsamquq, and Olga is her “Church name”. She was amongst the first people to be baptised as an infant.

Marriage ; family life ; midwifery

When Olga was old enough (18 years), she married Nicolai Michael. They were married on 1 December, 1934, at Bethel, Alaska (19 km/11mi by air from Kwethluk, but much farther using the Kuskowim River).

Nicolai Michael was an able hunter, and an able entrepreneur. Although Olga in time came to serve the village and its surroundings as a midwife, Olga gave birth to many of her own children without the aid of a midwife (since there were no others there). The 8 who survived to adulthood were raised by Olga.

It is written by the Archpriest Michael Oleksa that Olga (Arrsamquq, Olinka) Michael was not a physically impressive or imposing figure, eitherin appearance or in behaviour. In being raised by her, her sons and daughters cannot recall that she ever raised her voice to them. “Real People” (the meaning of “Yup’ik”) do not shout.

Wife of a priest

After her husband was ordained to the Holy Priesthood, Olga became known by the traditional Russian title for the wife of a priest, “Matushka”. This word is both respectful and affectionate, and it means “little, or dear mother”.

After his ordination, her husband was often away from home as he travelled to serve in the villages entrusted to his pastoral care. Therefore, Matushka Olga was always busy, and not only with her own household chores. She was always mindful and aware of others. She would often go to the homes of others, to clean and cook for them. When her children were old enough (7 and 8 years old), she brought them along to help also. Her children thus learned to carry on her work wherever she sent them.

Sewing and knitting for everyone

In the early years of his pastoral service, Matushka Olga sewed Father Nicolai’s vestments. She created beautiful parkas, boots, and mittens for her children. She was constantly knitting socks or preparing and sewing fur outerwear for others. Hardly a friend or neighbour was without something that Matushka had made for their use. Parishes hundreds of miles away received unsolicited gifts from her (traditional Eskimo winter boots, “mukluks”), to be sold or raffled for their building funds. All the clergy of the deanery wore gloves or woollen socks that Matushka Olga had made for them. Of course, we will recall Saint Tabitha (Dorcas) (Acts 9:36 ff) because of her needle-work and offerings.

As her children grew up and married, Matushka Olga came to have more than 24 grand-children upon whom to lavish her handwork, but she never restricted her generosity to her own relatives. Week after week, she prepared the prosphora (eucharistic bread), which served as the principal agent by which the created universe was transformed into an offering to God at the village Divine Liturgy. Her knowledge of the services was exceptional. She had committed to memory the entire services for the major feasts. She also knew the hymns of Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Pascha by heart in the Yup’ik language. Whenever a visiting priest entered her house, she quickly put on her scarf, and approached to request a blessing, just as would other Orthodox Christians anywhere in the world.

Care and intercessions for others

Matushka Olga was known for her empathy and care for those who had suffered abuse of all sorts (and especially sexual abuse). Although her family was poor, she gave generously to those who were poorer. Often, she gave away her children's clothes to the needy while the clothes still fit them ; and she told them not to mention it, if they ever saw their clothes being worn by other people. She was also known for her ability to tell when a woman was pregnant, even before the woman herself had missed her period.

Olinka would often ask women in the village to take a steam-bath with her. [This steam-bath is not very different from the Finnish “sauna” or the Russian “banya”, which is generally taken in a special building constructed for the purpose. This method uses little water, or a lake, or snow for cleaning the body.] It is the only truly private space in a village. Women who had been sexually abused, or who were being thus abused, had to stay in their tiny village along with their afflicters (there was no protective shelter anywhere), and thus be reminded constantly of what was done to them. Since steam-baths are taken in the nude, the visible abuse scars and recent injuries could not be hidden on the women she invited. One can assume that much counselling was done in the “banya” (steam-bath). It seems quite logical that Olinka would talk about God and forgiveness with them because of her position and relationship with them (indeed, this behaviour is characteristic of the Finnish sauna also).

Matushka Olga was increasingly freed from domestic chores as her remaining daughters became old enough to assume more of the work-load. Thus, she was able to travel with her husband to regional conferences, and to share her experience and wisdom with another generation of younger priests’ wives. She enjoyed visiting other parishes for feasts and meetings, but she was always glad to return home to Kwethluk. Regarding her example of humility, Bishop Gregory (Afonsky) would later say that “she was a humble woman. When a priest was visiting, he would hardly know she was there”. Such behaviour reflects the words of the Forerunner John, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

The following photo with Vladyka Gregory (Afonsky) was taken between 1973 and 1979.

Bishop Gregory (Afonsky) (centre) ; Matushka Olga and Archpriest Nicolai Michael (to the right) ; Archpriest Joseph, Matushka Marie Kreta (third, second from right) ; Yup'ik elders

“"Modernisation” in the village

Throughout her lifetime, the village underwent radical changes. As it “modernised”, it changed from consisting of a circle of small, semi-subterranean sod dwellings (similar to some structures in Siberia and Russia) and log houses, to become a typical town with a diesel generator, an elementary school and later a high school, a community centre, a “Head Start programme” and a clinic and several stores. Public radio and television from Bethel (27 km or 17 mi farther down the river) brought news and images of the world into every Yup’ik home. Wood stoves gave way to oil, and dog-sleds to snowmobiles. Modernisation with its new-fangled “improvements” has caused deep problems in cultural preservation.

Alaskan “barabaras”, sod-houses, relatives to the “burdei”

The icon of Matushka Olga dressed in traditional clothes upholds the Yup'ik culture as something good and godly. The icon affirms their way of life as hunter-gatherers. The icon affirms traditional Yu'pik values of caring for each other, sharing, keeping their cultural expressions in dance and storytelling alive. Their thousand years of subsistence-living and berry-picking and bartering is good. Matushka Olga brings to the world her simple life of caring for people, sharing and prayer. As we read about such things in the New Testament, so her ways in living were like those of the early Church. This affirmation of the goodness of “Eskimo” life has brought many more people to see themselves through “Eskimo” eyes. Soon, the education-system came to develop and to use immersion language programmes in the schools before the languages could pass out of daily use and become extinct. The pressure of mass-media often has very negative effects, such as the extinction of languages.

Matushka Olga

Some years before her repose in Christ (1979), Matushka began to feel weak and ill, but she refused to concern any family members about her condition. Her health did not improve, and her daughters noticed that she was losing weight. Finally, she was persuaded to visit the Bethel Hospital, from where she was sent to Anchorage. The specialists there diagnosed terminal cancer, and they said that it was beyond treatment. Matushka Olga received the news without bitterness or emotion, and she returned home to prepare for what would inevitably come. Her family resolved that medical science would not have the final word. Two of her daughters left their bedridden mother and travelled to Kodiak, Alaska, where they offered prayers both at Monk’s Lagoon and at the reliquary of Saint Herman. Upon their return to Kwethluk, they found their mother’s bed empty. She was outside, and hauling buckets of water from the village well. No doubt she was preparing to do laundry, or to scrub the kitchen floor.

A reprieve

For nearly a year, her condition returned to “normal”. However, by the time of the conference in the following August, Matushka was too weak to walk or to stand unassisted in church. At this conference, Archbishop Gregory (Afonsky) awarded her the highest distinction bestowed on laity in the diocese, the Cross of Saint Herman. He draped this award around her neck (the award has a red, white and blue ribbon from which an enamelled Cross is suspended, and which bears in its centre the icon of Alaska's first saint) at the end of the Feast-day's Divine Liturgy.

Matushka’s physical condition continued to deteriorate over the next several months. She began to prepare for her repose. She instructed her family how to do the things that she had always done for them, and how to distribute her few material possessions amongst themselves, and amongst her neighbours and friends. She had her wedding-gown cleaned, and she asked to be buried in it. She told her sons and daughters not to grieve for her, and she expressed regret that she had taken a grand-daughter into her home (not because she loved her less, but because she feared that the grand-daughter might mourn her too deeply). As the end drew near, the grand-children who were attending the very far-distant Mount Edgecombe boarding school were summoned home. An early winter storm delayed them. By the time they arrived she had already reposed.

Repose of Matushka Olga, 1979

On the day of her repose, 8 November, 1979, the village priest brought her Holy Communion. She sat up in bed, crossed her arms across her breast, and she received the Holy Mysteries. Then she made the sign of the Cross on herself, folded her arms again, lay down, and fell asleep in the Lord.

The Funeral Services for the Burial of a Lay-person were offered for Matushka Olga in the Temple of Saint Nicholas in Kwethluk.

After the services, her body was interred in the parish cemetery, near the second, older Temple.

Saint Nicholas Church, Kwethluk

News of her repose spread rapidly across western Alaska. Planeloads of mourners began to arrive as the evening “panikhida” (memorial service) was sung at the house, in the presence of her body. That night, a strong southerly wind blew forcefully and continuously. It melted the November snow and the river ice. Yup’ik neighbours from nearby villages were able to travel to Kwethluk by boat, something which is impossible at that time of year under ordinary circumstances. Very large numbers of friends arrived from as far away as Lake Iliamna (in southwest Alaska) and the Nushagak (by Bristol Bay) as well as from the villages of the Yukon and upper Kuskokwim rivers, and they filled the newly-constructed Temple in Kwethluk on the extraordinary spring-like day of the funeral.

As the procession proceeded out from the Temple, it was joined by a flock of birds (although by that time of year, all the birds have usually long-since flown south). The birds circled overhead, and they accompanied the coffin to the gravesite. The usually frozen soil had been easy to dig because of the unprecedented thaw. That night, after the memorial meal, the wind began to blow again. The ground re-froze, ice covered the river and winter returned. As Father Michael Oleksa commented : “It was as if the earth itself had opened to receive this woman. The cosmos still co-operates and participates in the worship that the Real People offer to God”.

Cemetery view

Grave-Cross

Grave of Matushka Olga

Glorification, 2023/2025

Although Matushka Olga Michael was not for a long time recognised officially to be a saint, nevertheless, there were very many people around the world who regarded her as being holy. They invoked her prayers on their behalf, and they received Grace from God for their healing, their repentance, their consolation, their strengthening to persevere. Matushka Olga Michael was widely accepted to be a holy person within the territory of her own diocese. The process of official recognition took a longer time than many hoped, not because of resistance on the part of the bishops, but because they were occupied for a long time with very pressing matters. Moreover, because of the poverty and the difficulty of travel in the Diocese of Alaska, extra time is required to accomplish necessary processes. The Canonisation Commission had been doing its work, and it was prepared when the opportune time arrived.

Formal request

On 20 October (2 November), 2023, Bishop Alexei (Trader) of Sitka and Alaska wrote to Metropolitan Tikhon (Mollard), and he requested formally that, God willing, the glorification of Matushka Olga be undertaken. He outlined the serious reasons for blessing the glorification of Matushka Olga, and the importance of including the Yup'ik elders in the details involved.

The Proclamation of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America on the Glorification of the Righteous Servant of God Matushka Olga

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

To the beloved Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America

God is wondrous in His Saints !

November 8, 2023

Chicago, IL

The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America has heard the petition of The Right Reverend ALEXEI, Bishop of Sitka and Alaska, expressed in his November 2, 2023 letter to His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, concerning the glorification of the Servant of God, the Righteous Matushka Olga.

In this letter, His Grace Bishop ALEXEI states : “I am writing to Your Beatitude with respect to the departed handmaiden of God and faithful Orthodox Christian, Matushka Olga Nicholai of Kwethluk, known by the pious peoples of the Kuskokwim as Arrsamquq. Her humility, her generosity, her piety, her patience, and her selfless love for God and neighbor were well-known in the Kuskokwim villages during her earthly life. Her care for comforting the suffering and the grieving has also been revealed after her life by grace-filled manifestations to the faithful throughout not only Alaska, but all of North America. The first peoples of Alaska are convinced of her sanctity and the great efficacy of her prayers. For this reason, after prayerful consideration, I, Alexei, Bishop of Sitka and Alaska, am hereby making the formal request to Your Beatitude as the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America to begin the process that, if it be in accord with God’s will, would lead to her glorification”.

The Holy Synod, having prayerfully reflected upon this petition and having observed and acknowledged the sincere devotion among the faithful of Alaska and beyond, has unanimously determined that the time for the glorification of Matushka Olga has arrived, fulfilling the hopes and prayers of pious Orthodox Christians throughout Alaska and the entire world.

THEREFORE, meeting in Solemn Assembly in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Chicago, Illinois, under the Presidency of The Most Blessed TIKHON, Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada, We, the Members of The Holy Synod of The Orthodox Church in America, do hereby decide and decree that the ever-memorable Servant of God MATUSHKA OLGA be numbered among the saints. With one mind and one heart, we also resolve that her honourable remains be considered as holy relics ; that a special service be composed in her honour ; that her feast be celebrated on November 10 (October 28, old style), and the Feast of All Saints of North America, the Second Sunday after Pentecost ; that holy icons be prepared to honour the newly-glorified saint in accordance with the Canons of the Sacred Ecumenical and Regional Councils ; that her life be published for the edification of the Faithful ; that the name of the new saint be communicated to the Primates of all Sister Churches for inclusion in their calendars ; and that the date and location of the Rite of Glorification be communicated to the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of our Church in due time.

FURTHER, we entrust to the Canonization Commission of The Orthodox Church in America, under the Chairmanship of The Most Reverend DANIEL, Archbishop of Chicago and the Midwest, with the honourable task of assisting The Right Reverend ALEXEI, Bishop of Sitka and Alaska, in preparing for the celebration of the glorification by providing an authorized Life of Matushka Olga for the education and edification of the Faithful, with overseeing the painting of holy icons of her, in keeping with the canonical iconographical tradition of the Church, with the composition of liturgical texts to be sung at the Divine Services in which she will be commemorated, with assisting in the uncovering and recognition of her holy relics, and in promoting her veneration among all the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of our Church.

We call upon the Faithful to remember Matushka Olga at Memorial Services or Litanies for the Departed when appropriate until the day of her glorification.

Through the prayers of Matushka Olga and of all the Saints who have shone forth in North America, may the Lord grant His mercies and blessings to all who seek her heavenly intercession with faith and love. Amen.

Holy Mother Olga, pray to God for us!

Given at Holy Trinity Cathedral, this 8th day of November, in the Year of Our Lord, 2023.

The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America.

+ TIKHON, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada

+ NATHANIEL, Archbishop of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate

+ BENJAMIN, Archbishop of San Francisco and the West

+ MARK, Archbishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania

+ ALEJO, Archbishop of Mexico City and Mexico

+ MELCHISEDEK, Archbishop of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania

+ IRENÉE, Archbishop of Ottawa and the Archdiocese of Canada

+ MICHAEL, Archbishop of New York and New Jersey

+ ALEXANDER, Archbishop of Dallas, the South and the Bulgarian Diocese

+ DANIEL, Archbishop of Chicago and the Midwest

+ ALEXEI, Bishop of Sitka and Alaska

+ NIKODHIM, Bishop of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese

Holy Relics to remain in Kwethluk

It had been proposed that the Holy Relics of Saint Olga of Kewthluk be moved from Kwethluk to Anchorage for the convenience of pilgrims. However, after considering this proposal, and after diligent investigation of the consequences, it was decided by the Holy Synod of Bishops in April, 2024, that her Holy Relics remain in Kwethluk. Measures would be taken to assist the villagers in Kwethluk who would receive the pilgrims. In 2024, a video was published which helps the viewer to understand the decision, and to show a pilgrim what the village is like.

Feast-day

The dates of commemoration of Saint Matushka Olga were declared to be 10 November, and the Second Sunday after Pentecost (All Saints of North America). It would be usual that Saint Olga's memory be kept on the day of her repose (8 November). However, on the Old Calendar, this is the Feast of Saint Demetrius, and on the New Calendar, this is the Feast of Archangel Michael. It was, therefore, transferred slightly.

The following tropar and kontak were developed in advance of the production of the official texts :

Tropar Tone 4 (Repose)

Your righteous deeds in Alaska, O Holy Mother Olga,

showed to the world that you are an image of the perfect servant of the Lord.

By your fasting, vigil and prayers,

you were inspired in your evangelical life.

You fed the hungry, and you cared for the poor.

You served as a midwife, and you brought babies into the world.

You nurtured children, and you clothed all those in need.

Now, you stand at the right-hand of Christ the Master,

and you intercede on behalf of us all.

Kontak Tone 4 (Repose)

O Holy and Righteous Mother Olga,

we have assembled today to celebrate your holy memorial.

Your life of prayerful love for the Lord

was expressed in delicate care for your neighbours and for children.

We beseech you to entreat the Lord that He have mercy on us.

A winter street scene in Kwethluk

Uncovering the Holy Relics of Matushka Olga, 2024

The Uncovering of the Relics of Holy Matushka Olga

On 15 November, 2024, in preparation for the forthcoming glorification of “Tanqilria Arrsamquq”, Saint Matushka Olga, clergy and faithful from across the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Sitka and Alaska, along with pilgrims from the “lower 48 states” and around the world, travelled with His Grace Bishop Alexei, to the Yup’ik village of Kwethluk in the Kuskokwim region of Alaska for the uncovering of Saint Olga’s relics.

As His Grace remarked to the Faithful, Matushka Olga has shown that she is not dead but living, alive in Christ, always ready to come to the aid of those who call upon her for help. Thus, it was meet and right for her holy relics to be taken from the womb of the earth in which they rested, and brought into the Church, where the Faithful may readily come to pour out their hearts before her and to ask for her holy intercessions before our Lord Jesus Christ.

Matushka Olga’s sanctifying presence was felt palpably throughout the weekend’s proceedings. Similar to her burial, in which the tundra thawed, birds from the spring season appeared, and the saint was able to be laid to rest in the thawed ground, the weather for Matushka Olga’s uncovering was likewise guided by the Lord’s hand and her holy prayers, making possible that which would have otherwise been impossible.

The day before the pilgrimage to the village, the weather in the area was an impassable blizzard, raising concern that travel may not be possible for the uncovering. On the day of travel, however, the skies cleared, and dozens of planes were able to fly in with no trouble.

The first group of clergy and Faithful to arrive joined Father Vasily Fisher and the Faithful of Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Kwethluk to greet His Grace late Friday afternoon. A Moleben was served to give thanks to the Lord for the hierarch’s safe arrival, for the grace shown through His Saint Olga, and to entreat the Lord’s blessing upon the work about to begin.

After the Moleben, the Faithful of Kwethluk demonstrated their Orthodox Christian and Yup’ik hospitality and love, with abundant feasts provided in honour of “Tanqilria Arrsamquq” for all the Faithful gathered for her uncovering. Through the course of Friday and Saturday, dozens of charter planes made their way to Kwethluk to bring in the Faithful from the Yukon-Kuskokwim region, all Alaska, and beyond.

On 16 November, the day of her uncovering, the temperatures were frigid hovering around 17 degrees Fahrenheit (-8 degrees Celsius) ; but in the Lord’s mercy, the sky was covered with clouds, like a warm blanket stretched out by Matushka Olga’s loving hands, bringing as much warmth and insulation to the cold day as possible. The winds were calmed, and the Faithful were able to stand in prayer for hours on end as the priests laboured with God-given strength to unearth the body of a saint.

Before beginning the work of unearthing her holy relics, Bishop Alexei and the Faithful, brought to the Church by trucks, four-wheelers, and snowmachines, processed to Blessed Matushka Olga’s grave, where a panikhida was served in order to properly begin the uncovering.

After the panikhida, the labour of uncovering began with breaking through about 6 inches of frozen ground with ice picks, an axe, and shovels. His Grace presided over the blessed labours of the priests, who completed the work of unearthing the saint.

Throughout the labours, the Holy Gospels were read by Bishop Alexei and the priests, just as they are read at the burial of clergy, in the confection of chrism, and in the completion of other holy mysteries in the Church. Many remarked on being deeply moved during the reading of the Holy Gospels, as each word was so clearly fulfilled in the holy life of thrice-blessed Matushka Olga.

The clergy and Faithful spent 6 hours, which felt like but a moment, standing and toiling on the cold Kwethluk day, warmed by their love for God and our beloved saint, and strengthened by her holy prayers. The priests tirelessly took turns breaking ground, digging, and reading the Holy Gospels, while the deacons censed, the altar servers tended to any and all needs, and the Faithful supported all with prayer and other necessities.

As the priests reached more than 6 feet below the earth, the Lord’s Triumphal Entry was read in the Gospel of Matthew. In God’s Providence, just as the words, “Hosana in the highest ! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”, were read, Matushka Olga’s coffin revealed itself. With awe-struck joy, the priests began to labour very carefully and slowly, and the Gospels continued to be read.

Earth was dug out from around the coffin, and ropes were tied to the handrails so that her coffin could be lifted out by the priests. As these final preparations were made, the Gospel reading had just reached the account of the Lord’s Transfiguration in the Gospel of Mark. In this providential moment, Matushka Olga was revealed to us even as our Lord was revealed before James, Peter, and John, before the Prophets Moses and Elijah, for she too was a bearer of the uncreated glory of God ; and we in that sacred tent could all say, “it is good to be in this place”.

As the account of the Lord’s Transfiguration ended, so too did the preparations for bringing up Saint Olga. The final rope was tied, and the priests began to labour to bring up the saint. The coffin was brought up, and all the Faithful and priests began singing solemnly “Gospodi pomilui”, (Lord have mercy). When she had been lifted from the grave, His Grace led the solemn procession back to Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church with the Gospel Book at the forefront, and followed by the censing deacons and the labouring priests as they all sang “Svyati Bozhe, Svyati Krepki, Svyati Besmertni pomilui nas” (Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal have mercy on us).

Once at the Church, Saint Olga was brought into the nave, where the doors were shut, in the same manner that the curtain of the Royal Doors is drawn, and the Holy Gifts are prepared by the hands of the priest behind the iconostas. The Faithful waited with prayerful anticipation, and the singing of hymns behind the closed doors in the narthex began, while His Grace worked with the priests in the nave to transfer Matushka Olga’s holy relics from the coffin into the newly-fashioned reliquary. The Holy Relics were carefully and lovingly moved into the beautiful casket made by the nuns from Holy Assumption Monastery in Calistoga California. On the casket is carved an image of the saint, with the inscription, “Tanqilria Arrsamquq, Saint Olga, Matushka of All Alaska”.

After Blessed Matushka Olga was resting and covered in the new reliquary, His Grace went to greet the Faithful in the narthex to announce with joy that, by Saintly Matushka Olga’s holy prayers, the work had been completed. The Faithful then processed into the nave with tears of joy, to come and offer their prayers and thanks to God and His newly uncovered saint.

Although the coffin had collected rain water, submersing her holy relics for years, there was no odour or smell of decay. It was noted by the deacon medical doctor present that the absence of an odour was itself miraculous. Although the garments she was wearing had decomposed, her head covering remained, sanctified by her prayers and deep Orthodox piety. Her medal of Saint Herman of Alaska was also present along with her baptismal Cross.

The day’s joyful labours were followed by a glorious All-Night Vigil that evening ,and the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy the following morning. The hymns were sung with palpable joy in Yup’ik, Slavonic, and English. Many commented that the joy felt could only be described as “just like Pascha”.

Following the Divine Liturgy, another extravagant feast was offered by the village, with all gathered in the commons of the Ket’acik & Apaalluk Memorial School in Kwethluk. The festivities were brought to completion through “yuraq” (traditional song and dance) provided by a Yup’ik dance group.

Truly, “God is wonderful in His saints” (Ps. 67:35). As through her holy, Christ-filled life, and in her unceasing labours of love for those in need after her repose, so also in the work of her uncovering, “Tanqilria Arrsamquq”, Saint Matushka Olga, showed that she is truly Yup’ik, a “real person”, in the image and likeness of Christ, whose heart holds within it the whole world. She, like the Most Pure Theotokos, is a true mother : to all the children of Kwethluk, to all the children of Alaska, to all persons in all the world.

Holy Matushka Olga, pray to God for us !

The video of the preparatory conversations with the villagers of Kwethluk may be seen here.

The video of the Uncovering of the Holy Relics may be seen here.

Photos from the Uncovering of the Holy Relics

Video of welcome

A video of welcome was produced before the events of the services of the glorification in June, 2025.

Services of glorification, 2025

The Holy Synod of Bishops of The Orthodox Church in America determined the schedule of the services regarding the glorification of Matushka Saint Olga. Once it was published, far more people wished to participate by attending than there was possible space to accommodate. Thus, the Faithful at large were invited to participate by means of the internet, as follows :

1. Primatial All-Night Vigil for the Glorification of Saint Olga in Kwethluk, Alaska

Date : Thursday, 19 June, 2025

Time : 4:00 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time (AKDT)

Video Link 1 : Announcement of the Glorification

Archbishop Michael announcing the Glorification

Archbishop Michael, Metropolitan Tikhon, other bishops

Video Link 2 : Vespers

At Vespers Kwethluk

At Litiya Kwethluk

Video Link 3 : Matins

At Matins Kwethluk

2. Primatial Divine Liturgy for the Glorification of Saint Olga in Kwethluk

Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church, Kwethluk

Date : Friday, 20 June, 2025

Time : 9:00 AM Alaska Daylight Time (AKDT)

Video Link : Primatial Divine Liturgy Kwethluk

Primatial Divine Liturgy Kwethluk

Iconostas of Kwethluk

Reliquary of Saint Olga, open

Holy Relics of Saint Olga

Colour change at the holy relics

The vestments worn were gold, the candles were the usual colour of beeswax. The windows were clear glass, not coloured.

3. Primatial All-Night Vigil in Honour of the Glorification of Saint Olga in Anchorage

Date : Saturday, 21 June, 2025

Time : 5:00 PM Alaska Daylight Time (AKDT)

Video Link : Festal Vigil

Festal Vigil Vespers Anchorage

Festal Vigil Litiya Anchorage

Festal Vigil Matins Anchorage

4. Primatial Divine Liturgy in the Glorification of Saint Olga in Anchorage

Date: Sunday, 22 June

Time : 9:00 AM Alaska Daylight Time (AKDT)

Video Link : Primatial Divine Liturgy

Primatial Divine Liturgy Anchorage

Reflections

Additional occasions of colour-change, 2026

On Great and Holy Friday, 10 April, 2026, at the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church of East Meadow, New York, the appearance of the vestments worn by the pastor appeared to be blue, although the vestments were not that colour (usually, purple or black is worn on that day). This adjustment was seen before at the time of the funeral of Matushka Olga at Kewthluk, and this occasion was interpreted as an indication of her presence and intercession.

Vestments seem to the eyes to be blue

Matushka Olga, an “unofficial” saint (until 2023)

Matushka Olga Michael lived her life filled with Christian humility and charity. In the area in which she lived, in which she lived her earthly life, she is and has been venerated as being holy. She also receives personal veneration from many Orthodox women (and men also) who are touched by her life story. It is said that she has appeared in the dreams of many of the Faithful, sometimes alongside the Mother of God. People have been helped and healed and guided through her intercession.

Indeed, humility was a central expression of Matushka Olga's love for the Lord, as was patience. She never put herself forward ; and often, she was not even noticed. In later years, her children commented that they could not recall that she had ever raised her voice to them (that is, in anger, impatience, irritation).

It is not simply we who determine who is especially holy. The Lord reveals to us who is holy. It is He who gives indications about a person to whom He has given the blessing to intercede for us and for the world. In fact, there are very many persons throughout the world who are locally recognised as being holy persons, but whose names have not been added to more official calendars. There are also persons who are recognised by the Faithful as being holy, but whose names have not in any official way been recognised. Fundamentally, it may be said that everyone who is admitted by the Lord into the Kingdom of Heaven by definition becomes holy, by being fully in the Presence of the Lord, “before His Face”, as members of the Body of Christ, and in harmony with the Lord's direction : “Be holy, for I am holy” (3 Moses 11:44, 45 ; 19:2 ; 1 Peter 1:16). We in this life come to know those particular persons whose intercession has been blessed by the Lord to be effective for our health and salvation.

During an Orthodox youth conference in Edmonton, Alberta, in November, 2005, some 4 attendees met 2 men on the street, who came from Kwethluk. They had been teenagers at the time of Olga’s repose. They called her a “spiritual mother” and “healer”, and they explained that she was very caring. That weekend, Edmonton was experiencing warm weather. One of the men mentioned that at the time of Olga’s funeral, it also was uncharacteristically warm.

As Father John Shimchick reported in his article about Matushka Olga, “Matushka Olga Michael : A Helper in Restoring the Work of God's Hands” :

 One woman, originally from Kwethluk but now living in Arizona, had a dream in which Matushka 
 Olga appeared, assuring her that her mother would be alright because she was coming to join 
 her in a bright and joyful place.  This woman did not know her mother was sick at the time, 
 that she had been rushed to Anchorage, and that she would soon die.  But the next day she 
 received news of her mother’s emergency evacuation and rushed from Arizona to Alaska, 
 comforting her mother with the news Matushka Olga had brought her about her eternal destiny.  
 The woman died in peace, and with her daughter, without the shock and grief that would have 
 certainly ensued if the dream had not reassured her.

In another article about Matushka Olga, the Archpriest John Shimchick wrote :

Another woman, after viewing a picture of Matushka Olga, experienced a ‘compassionate, loving,
gentle, and very real – very accessible presence’. The most detailed account comes from an
Orthodox woman who, as in the previous example, had suffered for many years from the
consequences of severe sexual abuse experienced as a child. This is her testimony of meeting
Matushka Olga :

One day I was deeply at prayer and awake. I had remembered an event that was very scary. My
prayer began with my asking the Holy Theotokos for help and mercy. Gradually I was aware of
standing in the woods feeling still a little scared. Soon a gentle wave of tenderness began
to sweep through the woods followed by a fresh garden scent. I saw the Virgin Mary, dressed
as she is in an icon, but more natural looking and brighter, walking toward me. As she came
closer I was aware of someone walking behind her. She stepped aside and gestured to a short,
wise looking woman. I asked her, ‘Who are you ?’ And the Virgin Mary answered, ‘St. Olga’.

St. Olga gestured for me to follow her. We walked a long way until there weren’t many trees.
We came to a little hill that had a door cut into the side. She gestured for me to sit and
she went inside. After a little while some smoke came out of the top of the hill. St. Olga
came out with some herbal tea. We both sat in silence drinking our tea and feeling the warmth
of the sun on our faces. I began to get a pain in my belly and she led me inside. The door
was so low I had to duck like bowing in prayer.

Inside, the hill was dry and warm and very quiet. The light was very soft coming from a
shallow bowl and from the open hole on the top of the hill. Everything around me felt gentle,
especially Mother Olga. The little hill house smelled like wild thyme and white pine in the
sun with roses and violets mixed in. Mother Olga helped me up on a kind of platform bed like
a driftwood box filled with moss and grasses. It was soft and smelled like the earth and the
sea. I was exhausted and lay back. St. Olga went over to the lamp and warmed up something
which she rubbed on my belly. I looked five months pregnant. (I was not pregnant for real at
that time.) I started to labor. I was a little scared. Mother Olga climbed up beside me and
gently holding my arm, she pretended to labor with me, showing me what to do and how to
breathe. She still hadn’t said anything. She helped me push out some stuff like afterbirth
which kind of soaked into dried moss on the box bed. I was very tired and crying a little
from relief when it was over.

Up until this she hadn’t spoken, but her eyes spoke with great tenderness and understanding.
We both got up and had some tea. As we were drinking it, Holy Mother Olga gradually became
the light in the room. Her face looked like there was a strong light bulb or the sun shining
under her skin. But I think the whole of her glowed. I was just so connected to her loving
gaze that I didn’t pay much attention to anything else. It was the kind of loving gaze from a
mother to an infant that connects and welcomes a baby to life. She seemed to pour tenderness
into me through her eyes. This wasn’t scary even though, at that time, I didn’t know about
people who literally shone with the love of God. (It made more sense after I read about St.
Seraphim.) I know now that some very deep wounds were being healed at that time. She gave me
back my own life which had been stolen, a life that is now defined by the beauty and love of
God for me, the restored work of His Hands.

After some time I felt like I was filled with wellness and a sense of quiet entered my soul,
as if my soul had been crying like a grief-stricken abandoned infant and now had finally been
comforted. Even now as I write [...] the miracle of the peacefulness, and also the zest for
life which wellness has brought, causes me to cry with joy and awe.

Only after this did Holy Mother Olga speak. She spoke about God and people who choose to do
evil things. She said the people who hurt me thought they could make me carry their evil
inside of me by rape. She was very firm when she said, 'That’s a lie. Only God can carry
evil away. The only thing they could put inside you was the seed of life which is a creation
of God and cannot pollute anyone’. I was never polluted. It just felt that way because of
the evil intentions of the people near me. What I had held inside me was the pain, terror,
shame, and helplessness I felt. We had labored together and that was all out of me now. She
burned some grass over the little flame and the smoke went straight up to God who is both the
judge and the forgiver. I understood by the ‘incense’ that it wasn’t my job to carry the sins
of people against me either. It was God’s, and what an ever-unfolding richness this taste of
salvation is. At the end of this healing time we went outside together. It was not dark in
the visioning prayer. There were so many stars stretching to infinity. The sky was all
shimmer with a moving veil of light. (I had seen photos of the northern lights but didn’t
know that they move.) Either Matushka Olga said, or we both heard in our hearts – I can’t
remember which – that the moving curtain of light was to be for us a promise that God can
create great beauty from complete desolation and nothingness. For me it was like proof of the
healing – great beauty where there had been nothing before but despair hidden by shame and
great effort.

From these words, we can understand and accept the special place that Matushka Olga has in the lives of certain indigenous people, and of a growing number of contemporary women in many places in North America. It is thought (but not said or written) that Matushka Olga may have known from personal experience the traumas of being abused earlier in her life (or not). Regardless, it seems to be clear that the Lord has given her the service of being an advocate for those who have been abused (and particularly sexually). It has been given to her to continue what she began as a wife, midwife, Matushka and mother. Father John and Matushka Lyn Breck, who taught in Alaska, helped Father Shimchick in his writing by contributing some information.

As Father Michael Oleksa wrote :

 The life and death of Matushka Olga Michael, wife of Archpriest Nicolai O Michael, characterizes 
 in many ways the traditional ideals of her people and faith, including a cosmic dimension unknown 
 in most of the outside world.

Saint Olga has become an intercessor for those in all sorts of afflictions, but especially for those who have suffered from violent and sexual abuse. There is a story of a priest who was trying to help an older man who, after a very destructive life, had revealed that he suffered unspeakable sexual abuse as young boy. For months, he could not sleep because of nightmares, which drove him to even more destructive behaviour including drug addiction.

The Priest offered as much as he could. He put the man in contact with various counselling groups and professionals, yet the nightmares persisted (although not as horrific). He had prayed for the man, served Molebens for him, and in desperation to help out as best as he could, he accepted to suggest serving the Akathist written in Matushka Olga's honour. The older man agreed. During what the priest described as one of the most profoundly hard services he had ever served, in which the darkness of that evil was weighing both down in sorrow and despair, he came to the 12th Ikos.

“Those abused from childhood [...] we offer you these praises : Rejoice, companion [...] Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !”

As these words were chanted, it seemed that the weight of that evil seemed to evaporate with every verse, and that the darkness was swallowed up in light. This man's disposition, which had seemed so lifeless and hopeless before the service, changed to that of a child who with unspeakable thanksgiving had received the most beautiful Christmas gift, and not as one who had suffered such violence. It is truly a blessing to have such loving relationships that in the Grace of the Holy Spirit makes the love of God something as normal as asking a friend to help.

Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) : prayer at the grave of Matushka Olga

Akathist to the Holy Matushka Olga Michael of Alaska

Akathist to Matushka Olga Michael by Archpriest Lawrence R Farley

Kontak 1 (Tone 4)

The God who makes the moving curtain of the northern lights made you as a living light, shining in the far north and lighting up the desolate with His great beauty. Beholding this radiance, we your children lift up our voices and sing :

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Ikos 1

You laboured in the far north as a new Tabitha, making clothes to shelter the poor from the cold and warming their souls with your love. We who endure the icy winds of this age also find shelter in your heavenly intercession, and we offer you these praises :

Rejoice, you that provided boots and parkas for the bodies of those in need !

Rejoice, you that still provide God’s Grace for the souls of the afflicted !

Rejoice, for your ceaseless labour clothed many throughout your village !

Rejoice, for your glorious praises are sung by many throughout the world !

Rejoice, strong consolation of peace for widows and orphans !

Rejoice, invincible tower of defence for the crushed and despairing !

Rejoice, haven of peace in the tumultuous world !

Rejoice, silent witness to the eternal Word !

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Kontak 2

Born in the lowly Yup’ik village of Kwethluk, you walked humbly with your God, doing justice and loving kindness, and you were manifested to all as a real person. Now that your God has exalted you to the heavenly heights, you hear from your earthly Church the song : Alleluia !

Ikos 2

In your youth, you married the village post-master and manager of the general store, supporting him by your prayers so that he became an archpriest. As a Matushka, you were a true mother to all you met, and we your children delight to run to you with these songs :

Rejoice, you whose maternal embrace comforts us in our pain !

Rejoice, you whose unfailing strength fills us with new hope !

Rejoice, for you dry our tears as a loving mother !

Rejoice, for you come to us with the strength of the heavenly Father !

Rejoice, you that sewed the priestly vestments of your husband that he might stand in beauty before God !

Rejoice, you that clothe us also in true holiness that we might stand unashamed in the Kingdom !

Rejoice, open door to the mercy of the Lord !

Rejoice, high wall of protection against the assaults of the enemy !

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Kontak 3

As the handmaid of the Lord, you obeyed His first command and fruitfully multiplied, bearing thirteen children, loving each one, and sorrowing over the ones who died. Now that you stand with them in heaven, you hear from us your children still on earth the hymn : Alleluia !

Ikos 3

Even during your earthly sojourn you were life-giving, bearing many children and filling their lives with the love of God. Now that your sojourn has ended and you sing in the heavenly choir of the saints, you continue to give life to us your spiritual children, who thankfully offer these words :

Rejoice, you that taught your earthly family the ways of the Lord !

Rejoice, you that watch over your spiritual family with the love of Christ !

Rejoice, you that received each of your children as the gift of God !

Rejoice, you that welcome all of us who come to you as your own children !

Rejoice, healing maternal embrace for the wounded !

Rejoice, victorious divine defence against the demons !

Rejoice, consolation of all your troubled children !

Rejoice, joy of all who seek your help !

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Kontak 4

During your life, you gave away your children’s clothing to the poor, and you taught them to preserve the dignity of the poor by not saying anything when they saw others wearing their clothes. Now that you stand before God clothed in the vestments of glory, you cry aloud to Him : Alleluia !

Ikos 4

You toiled ceaselessly, Matushka Olga, making traditional fur boots and parkas to raise funds for the needy throughout Alaska, so that your maternal care was felt by those far distant from you. We needy ones also cry out to you from the ends of the earth, taking refuge in your maternal intercession and offering you these hymns :

Rejoice, for the Lord has covered you with the robe of gladness !

Rejoice, for the Bridegroom adorns you with the jewels of His Kingdom !

Rejoice, you that clothe the poor children with the love of God !

Rejoice, you that restore their dignity before the eyes of men !

Rejoice, shining garment of our earthly vindication !

Rejoice, radiant vestment of our heavenly triumph !

Rejoice, boast of the widows !

Rejoice, song of the orphans !

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Kontak 5

Like your Lord, who wanted to gather Jerusalem’s children together the way a hen gathers her brood, so you also, Matushka Olga, sheltered the broken children who needed your care. Now that you stand in glory as their strong intercessor, you hear from them the cry : Alleluia !

Ikos 5

Those defenceless ones who suffered abuse at the hands of men looked to you for healing, O blessed Matushka ; and you never disappointed them, but you comforted their hearts and filled them with hope. We your children who also suffer our own wounds in the world turn to you with confidence and we say :

Rejoice, you that give rest to the weary and heavy-laden !

Rejoice, you that fill the fallen with new strength !

Rejoice, for your counsel empowered the battered and despairing !

Rejoice, for your wisdom delivered them from all their fears !

Rejoice, for they looked to you and they were made radiant !

Rejoice, for you took from them their guilt and shame !

Rejoice, ceaseless advocate before God for those molested and injured !

Rejoice, unconquerable stronghold for all needing refuge !

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Kontak 6

Once, when a little girl from the village came to visit you and your children, you knew that she been told not to eat at anyone else’s house, even though she was hungry. Pretending not to notice when she stole some of the potato pancakes you made, you kept your back to her, preserving the pretence of your ignorance, and kept cooking until she was filled. Marvelling at your divine wisdom and maternal compassion, we hungry ones also cry out : Alleluia !

Ikos 6

None who suffered neglect could fail to find their help in you, O blessed Olga, for in your wisdom you knew how to feed the hungry as you preserved their failing self-esteem. We who hunger and thirst for the righteousness of the Kingdom look up to you for aid, calling aloud :

Rejoice, for you fill the hungry with the good things of the Kingdom !

Rejoice, for you satisfy the poor with the bread of God !

Rejoice, for your prayers scatter the proud and end their oppression !

Rejoice, for your love exalts those of low degree and sets them on high !

Rejoice, you that lift up the heads of the ashamed and beaten !

Rejoice, you that heal of the hearts of the broken and weary !

Rejoice, inexhaustible abundance !

Rejoice, eternal banquet !

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Kontak 7

You laboured as a midwife, O blessed Matushka Olga, caring for the women of your village ; and in your prophetic insight you knew when a woman was pregnant in her first weeks, even before she did. Marvelling at how God is wonderful in His saints, we give thanks to Him with the hymn : Alleluia !

Ikos 7

The weak and the vulnerable came to you for strength, O Matushka Olga, and you guided them through the sorrow of childbirth into joy. We who walk through this life of sorrow and who seek the joy of the life to come offer you these songs :

Rejoice, gentle healer, working to bring many newborn children into the world !

Rejoice, spiritual midwife, labouring through your prayers until Christ is formed in us !

Rejoice, for your heart knew when God had formed a child in the womb !

Rejoice, for your hands brought many children to the light !

Rejoice, hidden prophetess, deep in the counsels of God !

Rejoice, manifest sanctity, revealing the goodness of the Lord !

Rejoice, you whose patient labours filled many with joy !

Rejoice, you whose constant intercession bring many to the Kingdom !

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Kontak 8

The old and the ill found cause to praise God for you, O Matushka Olga, for you visited them in their infirmity and you did their housework when they could not, quietly serving the Lord through His people. Knowing that you continue to serve the Lord through your heavenly intercession, we lift up our prayers to you, singing aloud : Alleluia !

Ikos 8

Like your Lord before you, O blessed one, you girded yourself in the radiant garments of humility and you washed the feet of your fellow-servants, and you inherited the blessing He promised for those who follow Him in humble service. Now that He has exalted you on high, you hear our fervent praises :

Rejoice, you that visited orphans and widows in their affliction !

Rejoice, you that kept yourself unstained from the world !

Rejoice, you whose labours refreshed the hearts of the lowly !

Rejoice, you whose prayers lifted them up to God’s throne !

Rejoice, never-flagging zeal, aglow with the Spirit !

Rejoice, never-failing intercession, serving the Lord !

Rejoice, for you never ceased in your work of love !

Rejoice, for your toil always gave the weary new hope !

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Kontak 9

God formed you for Himself to declare His praise, O blessed Matushka, and you knew by heart all the words of the services for many feast-days, Holy Week and Pascha, that you might lift up a ceaseless song to your Lord. Joining you in singing His matchless praise, we also cry aloud : Alleluia !

Ikos 9

God opened your lips that your mouth might declare His praise ; and your lips poured forth His praise, since by His Spirit He taught you His statutes. Like the Mother of God before you, your soul magnified the Lord, and we who have heard your song also rejoice in God our Saviour, saying to you :

Rejoice, you that dwell in the courts of the Lord !

Rejoice, you that sing for joy to the living God !

Rejoice, song of triumph, silencing the din of the demons !

Rejoice, eternal melody, joining with the heavenly choir !

Rejoice, for the words of the Church’s praises were written on your heart !

Rejoice, for the pure words of adoration came pouring from your lips !

Rejoice, you whose heart overflowed with the good Word of God !

Rejoice, you that addressed your verses to the King !

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Kontak 10

God, who sends forth His word and melts the ice, cared for you even in death ; for even though you died in the frozen month of November, a warm wind blew in and melted the river, enabling many of your friends to come to your funeral unexpectedly and allowing your grave to be easily dug. Then, after they departed, the cold returned, the river froze and the ground hardened. Observing the care the Creator lavishes on His saints, we sinners lift up the cry : Alleluia !

Ikos 10

When the mourners at your funeral escorted your holy body to the graveyard, they saw that a flock of summer birds flew overhead, as if joining in the sacred procession, though after the funeral feast the unseasonable birds were seen no more. As the created order joins in honouring God’s saint, we too hasten to add our praises :

Rejoice, for your whole life was a witness to God’s healing love !

Rejoice, for in even your death you testified to His sovereignty over creation !

Rejoice, you that gathered all to the Lord by your humble acts of service !

Rejoice, you that assembled all to worship Him at your final appearance on earth !

Rejoice, for your prayers bring God’s warmth to our souls !

Rejoice, for your presence banishes icy fear from our hearts !

Rejoice, fire of love in the bitter Arctic snows !

Rejoice, pillar of light in the long night of the north !

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Kontak 11

The villagers who sang hymns from house to house at Christmas-time and who sang ‘Memory Eternal’ at the homes of those who died the past year, refused to let you die from their hearts, O blessed Olga, for even twenty years after your repose, they still came to sing ‘Memory Eternal’ before your empty house. We who love you also join them in their ceaseless devotion, singing to you the hymn : Alleluia !

Ikos 11

Those who carried the Christmas star from house to house, illuminating the night with their carols, still carry you in their heart, Matushka Olga, as they stand in song before the home you vacated when your soul left us for the mansions of heaven. As the north star shines brightly amongst the stars in heaven, so you stand amongst the choir of the saints, and you hear from us these songs :

Rejoice, you whose healing love binds us to you with the cords of devotion !

Rejoice, you whose gentle touch looses us from the bonds of pain !

Rejoice, for you never forsake your people !

Rejoice, for your people ever turn to you for aid !

Rejoice, ever-present bulwark in the midst of your church !

Rejoice, never-failing intercessor before the throne of God !

Rejoice, song of joy in the night !

Rejoice, flame of hope in the morning !

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Kontak 12

In your maternal love, you continue to care for us, Matushka Olga, praying for our souls and granting peace through your holy icon. Thankful to God for your miracles amongst us, we offer up the doxology : Alleluia !

Ikos 12

Those abused from childhood know you as a mighty healer, O blessed Matushka. You appeared in a dream to one undergoing counselling for abuse, leading her through a forest, massaging her like a midwife so that all her years of painful trauma poured out from her, leaving her restored and joyful in spirit. Exulting in your healing love, we offer you these praises :

Rejoice, companion of the Theotokos, granting us maternal protection !

Rejoice, heir of Saint Herman, shining forth from Alaska !

Rejoice, you that straighten the tangled cords of the darkened past !

Rejoice, you that give to the hurt and fallen a radiant future !

Rejoice, for you dry the tears of children !

Rejoice, for you drench us with the joy of Christ !

Rejoice, peace for the traumatised !

Rejoice, wholeness for the wounded !

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Kontak 13

O blessed Matushka Olga, accept these songs of us who trust in you, and in the compassion which you have always shown us, rescue us from distress, pain and despair. Fill us up with the light of Christ, so that we may sing with you to God the eternal hymn of victory : Alleluia ! (We sing the kontak thrice)

Ikos 1

You laboured in the far north as a new Tabitha, making clothes to shelter the poor from the cold and warming their souls with your love. We who endure the icy winds of this age also find shelter in your heavenly intercession and offer you these praises :

Rejoice, you that provided boots and parkas for the bodies of those in need !

Rejoice, you that still provide God’s grace for the souls of the afflicted !

Rejoice, for your ceaseless labour clothed many throughout your village !

Rejoice, for your glorious praises are sung by many throughout the world !

Rejoice, strong consolation of peace for widows and orphans !

Rejoice, invincible tower of defence for the crushed and despairing !

Rejoice, haven of peace in the tumultuous world !

Rejoice, silent witness to the eternal Word !

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Kontak 1

The God who makes the moving curtain of the northern lights made you as a living light, shining in the far north and lighting up the desolate with His great beauty. Beholding this radiance, we your children lift up our voices and sing :

Rejoice, Matushka Olga, healer of the abused and broken !

Prayer to Matushka Olga :

O blessed Matushka Olga, hear our prayer as we lift up our hearts to you, trusting in the power of your ceaseless intercession. Even as you spread the warmth of your maternal love over the souls of the needy, abused, and broken, so warm our souls also, healing our pain and bringing us the love of Christ. Through your prayers, may we walk in the paths of peace, pleasing our Lord and glorifying His Name, and so finally fail not to enter into the joy of His eternal Kingdom, praising our God forever before His throne : Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

References

Skinner, Olga J, “The Life of my Grandmother Olga Arrsamquq Michael” (Fairbanks, Alaska : University of Alaska, December, 2009)

‘Missionary Beginnings in North America 1794-1923’ in “A Chronological History of the Archdiocese of Canada, Part 1”

“The Russian Mission in North America”

Wikipedia biography

Orthodowiki biography

Archdiocese of Canada : “Matushka Olga, Faithful in All Things”

Additional information :

Afonsky, Bishop Gregory, “A History of the Orthodox Church in Alaska 1794-1917” (Kodiak, AK : Saint Herman’s Seminary Press, 1994). ASIN : B0043NQAOK.

......, “A History of the Orthodox Church in America” (Kodiak, AK : St Herman’s Theological Seminary Press, 1994).

Oleksa, Archpriest Michael, “Alaskan Missionary Spirituality” (Mahway, NJ : Paulist Press, 1987).

......, “Orthodox Alaska : A Theology of Mission” (Crestwood, NY : SVS Press, 1992). ISBN : 0881410926.

Shimchick, Archpriest John, “Matushka Olga Michael : A Helper in Restoring the Work of God's Hands”.

Wigglesworth, Deacon Kevin, ‘Saint Olga of Alaska’ in “Canadian Journal of Orthodox Theology” (Winter, 2024)

The Orthodox Church in America web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about The Orthodox Church in America

OCA Diocese of Alaska

Parishes of the Diocese of Alaska

Wikipedia article about the OCA Diocese of Alaska

Russian Wikipedia article about the Diocese of Alaska

Saint Innocent (Veniaminov)